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Potash Production Begins, Lake Wells, Western Australia

Australia begins production of potash. It is a large consumer of the salt, but until now has not produced any of its own. Though resources of the compound have always been available to Australian companies they have never processed it. The Australian Potash company has obtained 3 tonnes of potassium-rich feeder salts from the Lake Wells SOP (sulphate of potash) project. The process facility is near Perth. Production of more of it will be carried out over the next three months. Two Chinese MuO off-take partners have joined the parent company. Lake Wells 180km from Laverton is the source of the compound. There is a chain of evaporative ponds that filter it out of raw material. A research project has been set up by Australian Potash with the School of Agriculture and Environment at the University of Western Australia. The newly produced Australian potash will be tested on various WA soil types. The university product will enable the company to engage with the consumer, namely,...

Crop Probiotics is Just Snake Oil

 ▶ Viability of plant probiotics not yet proven. | research + biostimulants +oil + probiotics + crop + false + research + nonsense crop biostimulants bacteria | oil snake. ◀ |  Probiotics do not work.  Tests show that digestion in the gut destroys 99.9 percent of probiotics.  It is a fad. As we know fads come and go. Now farmers are being told there are probiotics for crops. This is nonsense.      ||| plants biostimulants me false snake no nonsense as snake eh probiotics en crop do false if research go nonsense | It is claimed that supplements will increase productivity, make plants tougher and raise resistance to pests. Apparently, Australia is negligent in allowing poor biostimulants into the country.  Manufacturers want the market regulated by the government so they can only product can be sold.  What a big lie this is!      ||| research on ox biostimulants are false and nonsense from research oil ha snake hi pr...

Genetics Shows LIncoln Red Cattle to be Good "New" Breed

Lincoln red cattle are genetically strong, ideal for farmers. Lincoln Red cattle are large. They provide a lot of meat. However, many consumers have never heard of the breed, mainly because investment in marketing has been minimal. A marketing program is planned. In many ways the meat is superior to the much vaunted Angus. Admittedly, only a thousand head are produced each year in Western Australia. If consumers knew of the quality meat more could be ready for market very quickly. The breed comes from the cold and windy east coast county of Lincolnshire in England. There true origin is the Bos urus cattle of Scandinavia. While not currently popular with consumers in Australia, they have "taken-off" in Europe. It has pluses for farmers. It efficiently converts feed to meat and grows rapidly. Crossbreeds in particular grow very fast. Unusually for meat animals they make good milkers as well. ◆ Genetics by Ty Buchanan   ◆ Adventure Australia Funny Animal ...

Complete Genome of the Carrot is Known

Genetics: Identification of the genome of the carrot has just been complete by researchers. Though the carrot is a mundane vegetable it is important for a rounded, varied diet. Haven't you heard that carrots are good for your eyesight - I bet you have never seen a rabbit wearing glasses have you? Ah well, a little less of the frivolity! Scientists sequenced the genome of the humble carrot only a week ago. Increasing the level of nutrients in the vegetable is the prime objective. Vitamin A is present in high levels naturally. This does benefit one's eyes. Side issues include disease resistant and greater yields. This does directly improve life for farmers. Overall ,consumers get a better product at a lower price. Ironically, vegetables have more genes than humans: 32,000 compared to 20,000. It seems that Man is nothing special after all. Plants are more complex than us. Carrots are probably more useful than people to the planet - they don't destroy it. ...

Wagyu Meat Sales are Booming!

The whole world is getting richer.  Many people don't just eat beef anymore. They consumer premium quality and high priced Wagyu. It can cost as much as $200 a kilogram.  Over valued? Perhaps so.  I don't buy it.  Then I am just too ordinary to care about. It is the fastest growing breed.  With cattlemen tripping over each other to get their hands on some young ones.  It seems they are on to a good thing.  The future looks really good with growing demand.  Even meat from part bloods is fetching a solid price. Trade descriptors of Wagyu are complex.  Fifty percent with a Wagyu and another breed is termed F1.  There are grades for quarter, eights and so on.  A genome test is on its way to clearly define part Wagyu.  This will end suspect claims by some growers of their partials. Demand is greatly exceeding supply at present.  Supply will rapidly rise in the next few years, however.  It is the high price th...

Australia's Blueberry Industry Increasing Output

Blueberries aren't that popular in Australia. They are certainly not loved, as in the USA. However, Australian farmers are growing more of them as Australians look for something different. There is also a thriving international market. The Clarence Valley in Grafton, NSW is the main growing region for the product. At present Australian growers supply only a tiny amount of berries to the world. Yet, Australia uses the latest genetic technology to grow good blueberries. Hard quarantine laws stop Australia getting into the China market.  Maybe this is  quid pro quo  for Australia's brick wall against New Zealand growers of fruit and vegetables in general. Four years ago Japan blocked imports into that country. It was only an increase in local demand that saved the industry. Australian blueberry farmers are raising output despite there being no real overseas target market in sight. The recent summit at Coffs harbour did not change the existing state of af...

Measure Land Moisture by Satellite

No longer will Australian farmers waste their time working land that has no future. Satellite technology has improved to the point where moisture level of farmland can be determined. Waiting for rain that will make no difference is info that farmers can now 'bank' on. Measuring moisture level is now something done by computer, from aerial surveys. The labor-intensive, time-consuming chore is a thing of the past. Soil that has potential rejuvenation can be targetted. The cost is out of the reach of individual farmers at present but the price is falling. It is possible, if use of the new technology becomes widespread, that the output of certain crops can be estimated. Potential shortages will be foreseen and action taken in future plantings. When weather predictions are included the position of markets months ahead will be known. ✴ Technology by Ty Buchanan ✴ http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/ http://www.tysaustralia.blogspot.com/ http://advent...

New iHerd App Helps Australian Farmers

If labor costs are high in a country it is necessary to turn to technology to efficiently do the job. Australian farmers have been world leaders in applying technology to tasks. Thus, there is an increasing demand for skilled labor on farms. This obviously goes against tradition. A new app for farmers has been released called iHerd . The app keeps an eye on cattle as they move around. Tracking is much easier. Gathering of cattle into yards is reduced. Cattle have monitoring tabs fitted to them. As they come in to drink, tags are identified and weight is taken. Animals of a certain weight can then be selected out. An important benefit is that the knowledge has improved production of healthy cattle. Of course, farmers themselves have to learn new skills. This they are doing very well indeed. New technology is being adopted and applied rapidly. A more technologically based farming sector could attract skilled young people back to the land. This is not a goal, t...

Biomass is the Wrong Way forward

Much has been said about the adoption of biomass technology to replace wind and solar energy production. Biomass involves the burning of sugars, starches and oils from crops to make biodiesel and ethanol. The cost of gathering this waste has not been factored in. Wind and solar need maintenance but for the most part they just sit there and do their job. Farmers have simply left waste in the fields - ultimately burning or plowing them in. They do not see money in gathering up the left overs from crops. Environmentally, biomass looks good. However, financially they are a no-go. Who will pay a higher price for electricity? Charges are already extremely high using coal which is just dug from the ground. The biggest problem is that biomass involves burning while wind and solar do not. Just substituting biomass for widely available conventional fossil fuels is not a an ideal move forward. This is like electric cars which are only substitutes for petrol motor vehicles - a poor and ...

Climate Change is Inevitable

Australia is one the world's major producers of wheat. If climate change reduces national output there will be widespread consequences. The economy will suffer with the need to import wheat. Internationally, a wheat shortage will put prices up and many poor people will have to go without. On the positive side some regions of Australia will get more rain. People will still be able to "fatten up" on sugar and rice, despite research showing that sugar contains no nourishment whatsoever for the human body. Two centuries ago a group of British sailors was shipwrecked on the west coast of Africa. The ship was beached. Even though the ship had a full load of West Indian sugar they all died of malnutrition. Getting back to the main point. There will be competition for arable land pushing land prices up. There is also a link between the land and sea. Climate change will reduce the fish catch. Living in the bush will become impossible with farming failing to prop...